May 9, 2006
Dean Acosta/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 358-1400/1272
RELEASE: 06-219
NASA AGREES TO COOPERATE WITH INDIA ON LUNAR MISSION
NASA will have two scientific instruments on India's maiden voyage to
the moon. Tuesday, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and his
counterpart, Indian Space Research Organization Chairman G. Madhavan
Nair, signed two Memoranda of Understanding in Bangalore, India, for
cooperation on India's Chandrayaan-1 mission.
Griffin is touring Indian Space Research Organization facilities this
week. He will visit its satellite development center, launch vehicle
production center and launch site.
"It is my hope and belief that as we extend the reach of human
civilization throughout the solar system, the United States and India
will be partners on many more technically challenging and
scientifically rewarding projects," Griffin said at a ceremony in
Bangalore. "I very much look forward to the opportunity to see first
hand India's impressive space facilities, to meet with your
scientists and engineers and to learn more about your remarkable
work."
Chandrayaan-1, a lunar orbiter, is expected to launch in late 2007 or
early 2008. It is a truly international mission, with payloads from
Europe as well as the United States. NASA's contribution includes the
Moon Mineralogy Mapper, a NASA Discovery Program mission of
opportunity designed to assess mineral resources of the moon. A
second NASA instrument, Mini-SAR, will look for ice deposits in the
moon's polar regions.
Data from the two instruments will contribute to NASA's increased
understanding of the lunar environment as it implements the Vision
for Space Exploration, which calls for robotic and human exploration
of the moon's surface.
For information about the Vision for Space Exploration, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
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